Next Wednesday 6th May 2015 Senior Officials from the Pacific will gather in Lami for a groundbreaking and unprecedented meeting to discuss the design and structure of the Pacific’s newest and only people centered development organization, the Pacific Islands Development Forum.
The meeting to take place at the NOVOTEL, Lami will be attended by Government, Private Sector and Civil Society Officials from the Pacific. Invitations have been extended to Government, Private Sector and Civil Society Organisations in Cook Islands, FSM, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis & Futuna to attend. An open invitation has also been issued through the media for any Pacific Islander to participate.
The Prime Minister of Fiji Rear Admiral Hon J. V. Bainimarama will open the meeting on Wednesday morning and the Minister for Foreign Affairs Hon Ratu Inoke Kubuabola will close it on Thursday.
Speaking about the meeting the Interim Secretary General of the PIDF Mr Amena Yauvoli explained:
“The meeting will discuss the most appropriate way of institutionalising the PIDF and its funding modality. During the second PIDF Leaders Summit held in 2014, Leaders endorsed the development of a long term institutional arrangement for PIDF. A TOR was approved by Leaders and a consultant has been engaged to assist the process.”
“Two regional workshops are planned, the first is next week and second in June. The outcome of all these will be a draft agreement to be tabled to Leaders during their Third Summit in 2-4 September 2015.”
“PIDF was born in 2013 out of the firm desires of Pacific Island Leaders to have a space and forum where they can be with their people, without any interference from outside, and discuss issues of common priorities to them and enhance sustainable development in their respective economies.”
“True to the inclusive and people centered processes of the PIDF a broadly participatory and consultative process was launched in March using all mediums of communication. This Workshop is the second phase of this extensive public consultation process. We are encouraging everyone to join us in Lami in this Workshop next week.”